Library expansion aims to be grass roots effort

· March 30, 2016

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

The Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library District is going to get a whole lot bigger.

Library officials announced this week that a $3 million renovation project is on track to begin construction in late spring of next year. Until then, project planners will focus on gathering community input and feedback on most-requested new features or services.

The Sandpoint Library.

“We do have ideas about what we want to do with the space, but what we’re really waiting on is public feedback,” said Marcy Timblin, library public relations director.

The expansion will add 10,000 square feet onto the 30,000 square feet of the existing library building. That will come in the form of a two-story addition to the southeast and a one-story addition in the northwest end. A neighboring property on Cedar Street purchased in 2014 will likely be used for parking and green space.

While the original library facility was built in 2000 through a bond, library officials plan to avoid that route this time. According to Timblin, officials have put together a strategic plan to raise money through fundraising, existing budgetary funds, grants and more.

“We want to do this in a real grass roots kind of way,” said Timblin.

The expansion is part of a nationwide movement to redefine the signature features of a community library. One role libraries have helped popularize in recent years is the establishment of makerspaces, which give creative individuals access to specialized supplies and equipment like 3D printers.

“These trends were just beginning to emerge 16 years ago when this building was constructed,” said library director Ann Nichols in a press release. “Today, our makerspace programs and community development initiatives have reached capacity in the physical space we have. Our social spaces are encroaching on our quiet spaces, and our professional meeting rooms are being shared with our makerspace programs.”

Building off a successful partnership on the Clark Fork branch library building, library officials have hired Architects West Inc. of Coeur d’Alene due to its expertise in library design, Nichols said. In the months to come, Architects West will work with the city of Sandpoint to get the project approved and then begin to draft a design. Initial designs will likely be ready by the summer, and if all proceeds according to plan, the library will open the bid for the construction contract in the spring of next year.

“We have already scheduled focus groups to steer the project design in the direction that will be most beneficial for Bonner County residents,” said Nichols. “This will be an ongoing process during the design phase.

The team also welcomes informal suggestions and feedback. According to Timblin, library staff members are committed to keeping the public informed of project progress every step of the way.

While we have you ...

... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.

Pick up this week's Reader for the lowdown on Winter Carnival Week 2 — including the Weird & Wonderful Pub Crawl and K9 Keg Pull — as well as news, opinion, Emily Articulated, an interview with new downtown shop Wolf & Bell and so much more.

Grab a print copy around town or look under "Reader in Print" on sandpointreader.com to find the digital copy.

Dubbed “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” Michael Winslow has appeared in such comedy classics as “Spaceballs,” “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie" and of course, as “Motormouth Jones” in the “Police Academy” films. Aside from acting, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of beatboxing.

He’ll be showcasing his unique brand of comedy at the 219 Lounge for two days on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23.

Read an interview between Winslow and our publisher Ben — an interview Ben described as his "favorite" of all time — at sandpointreader.com. ... See MoreSee Less

Community Calendars

Community Calendars

This week in Sandpoint: Our town’s biggest party of the season kicks off Friday with the Sandpoint Winter Carnival‘s sweet Parade of Lights through downtown. And that just gets things started. See all events on this week, Feb. 11-17:

Sandpoint in Pictures

Sandpoint in Pictures

November’s Sandpoint in Pictures winner. There is a touching sentiment behind this photo, which captured November’s photo contest prize. And a new contest is in full swing for December, too. Submit a photo, see local pics, and vote at SandpointPictures.com»

Sports and Outdoors

Meet the Reader

Ever wonder who makes the Reader happen? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look pieced together by summer 2017 intern McCalee Cain in which Ben, Cameron and Lyndsie explain what exactly about the Reader keeps them coming back to their shabby (but well–loved) office each week.

Close [x]

Want to support independent local journalism?

The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned, in a partnership between Publisher Ben Olson and Keokee Co. Publishing, the media company owned by Chris Bessler that also publishes Sandpoint Magazine and Sandpoint Online. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.